Close losses for soccer; volleyball pushes Ellensburg in third set
Keeper Aiyana Valle made 15 saves in a 2-0 loss to Ellensburg, and volleyball rallied to take the Lady Bulldogs, the state’s seventh-ranked 2A team, to 27-25 in the third set before falling.
Updated
Ephrata keeper Aiyana Valle (left) smothers a shot by Ellensburg’s Brea Potucek (10) on her way to 15 saves in a 2-0 loss Tuesday. At right, Clairissa Johnson (6) roofs an Ellensburg attack. Johnson had five of Ephrata’s blocks in a three-set loss to the Bulldogs. Photos by Casey Devine
Soccer
Ephrata girls soccer lost two close Central Washington Athletic Conference matches, both at home, falling 3-2 to East Valley (Yakima) on Oct. 1 and 2-0 to Ellensburg on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Against Ellensburg, the Lady Tigers trailed 1-0 into the final 10 minutes, when they pushed players forward looking for an equalizer and the Bulldogs scored again.
Ephrata’s Skarlett Sanchez (17) sends a first-half free kick over the Ellensburg wall but just high of the goal during the Lady Tigers’ 2-0 loss Tuesday.
“Ellensburg was very, very fast up top. We were able to take care of that for the most part,” head coach Gary Klepec said. “It was a close game with the midfield battle from both teams.”
Klepec commended the play of junior keeper Aiyana Valle, who made 15 saves for Ephrata.
“Aiyana had a great night in goal,” he said.
Though playing a defensive game, the Lady Tigers put five shots on goal, three from freshman Ellie Molitor and one each from sophomore Sophie Molitor and junior Jillian Linehan.
Wearing pink for the Lady Tigers’ Coaches vs Cancer "Pink Out" match, senior defender McKinnley Graaff (4) steals the ball from Ellensburg’s Brea Potucek (10) and clears it during Tuesday’s 2-0 loss.
Against East Valley, junior Alexis St. Mary scored on an assist from sophomore Brooklynne Addink, and Ellie Molitor added Ephrata’s second goal, raising her season total to nine. East Valley led 2-1 at halftime. St. Mary was back in the lineup after missing most of the Sept. 26 tie at Pullman.
The Lady Tigers are 2-7-2 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Elsewhere in the CWAC on Tuesday, East Valley of Yakima, ranked No. 5 in the WIAA 2A polls, blanked seventh-ranked Quincy 3-0 to stay unbeaten in league play, Selah beat Prosser 3-1, and Grandview won 2-0 at Toppenish.
East Valley leads the conference with a 4-0 record, followed by Ellensburg at 4-1 and Selah at 3-1.
The Lady Tigers host Selah at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Ephrata High School soccer complex.
“Selah is always very physical so we will have to match their physicality,” Klepec said. “It should be a good game.”
Volleyball
Selah swept Ephrata 25-9, 25-15, 25-13 at home Thursday, Oct. 8, the Lady Tigers' third straight home loss in league play. The Vikings came in at 3-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference.
The two prior matches were much closer.
Playing at home Tuesday, the Lady Tigers showed grit in a third-set battle against Ellensburg, the state's seventh-ranked 2A team.
The visiting Lady Bulldogs claimed the first two sets, 25-14, 25-16, and led 15-10 in the third. But the Tigers put together a scoring stretch that pulled them ahead 17-16, the two teams traded leads through the 20s, and pulled even at 24-24 before the Bulldogs closed it out 27-25 to claim the match.
The Lady Tigers celebrate after rallying to take a 17-16 lead in the third set against Ellensburg on Tuesday, as the Bulldogs’ Sophia Kuntz (9) and Addison Howard (10) regroup. Ephrata pushed the state’s seventh-ranked 2A team to 27-25 before falling.
"The girls played great and kept up with one of the best teams in the league," Ephrata head coach McKaidan Boyd said afterward. "I'm proud of them."
Sophomore Addison Vasquez led Ephrata with five kills and four aces. Clairissa Johnson, Vasquez and Bergen Lauver each put up five blocks, and Ella Piturachsatit added three. Sidney Chornuk led the defense with seven digs, followed by Staci Guerrero with six and Scarlet Wolther with four. The Tigers served nine aces.
Sidney Chornuk (5) looks for an opening in the Ellensburg double block during Tuesday’s home match. Chornuk led Ephrata’s defense with seven digs against the Bulldogs.
With the win, Ellensburg improved to 5-0 in the CWAC and is currently listed seventh in the WIAA's 2A RPI rankings. Ephrata moved to 2-9 overall and 0-4 in the CWAC.
But the young Lady Tiger squad also showed competitive resilience last Thursday, Oct. 1, when East Valley came to town. Ephrata claimed the opening set, 25-18, and battled in extended sets against the Red Devils, who eventually prevailed 28-26, 25-13, 26-24.
Ephrata falls to 2-10 overall and 0-5 in the CWAC. The Tigers travel to Othello on Oct. 13 for a 6 p.m. match.
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Close losses for soccer; volleyball pushes Ellensburg in third set
Keeper Aiyana Valle made 15 saves in a 2-0 loss to Ellensburg, and volleyball rallied to take the Lady Bulldogs, the state’s seventh-ranked 2A team, to 27-25 in the third set before falling.
Soccer
Ephrata girls soccer lost two close Central Washington Athletic Conference matches, both at home, falling 3-2 to East Valley (Yakima) on Oct. 1 and 2-0 to Ellensburg on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Against Ellensburg, the Lady Tigers trailed 1-0 into the final 10 minutes, when they pushed players forward looking for an equalizer and the Bulldogs scored again.
“Ellensburg was very, very fast up top. We were able to take care of that for the most part,” head coach Gary Klepec said. “It was a close game with the midfield battle from both teams.”
Klepec commended the play of junior keeper Aiyana Valle, who made 15 saves for Ephrata.
“Aiyana had a great night in goal,” he said.
Though playing a defensive game, the Lady Tigers put five shots on goal, three from freshman Ellie Molitor and one each from sophomore Sophie Molitor and junior Jillian Linehan.
Against East Valley, junior Alexis St. Mary scored on an assist from sophomore Brooklynne Addink, and Ellie Molitor added Ephrata’s second goal, raising her season total to nine. East Valley led 2-1 at halftime. St. Mary was back in the lineup after missing most of the Sept. 26 tie at Pullman.
The Lady Tigers are 2-7-2 overall and 2-2 in league play.
Elsewhere in the CWAC on Tuesday, East Valley of Yakima, ranked No. 5 in the WIAA 2A polls, blanked seventh-ranked Quincy 3-0 to stay unbeaten in league play, Selah beat Prosser 3-1, and Grandview won 2-0 at Toppenish.
East Valley leads the conference with a 4-0 record, followed by Ellensburg at 4-1 and Selah at 3-1.
The Lady Tigers host Selah at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Ephrata High School soccer complex.
“Selah is always very physical so we will have to match their physicality,” Klepec said. “It should be a good game.”
Volleyball
Selah swept Ephrata 25-9, 25-15, 25-13 at home Thursday, Oct. 8, the Lady Tigers' third straight home loss in league play. The Vikings came in at 3-1 in the Central Washington Athletic Conference.
The two prior matches were much closer.
Playing at home Tuesday, the Lady Tigers showed grit in a third-set battle against Ellensburg, the state's seventh-ranked 2A team.
The visiting Lady Bulldogs claimed the first two sets, 25-14, 25-16, and led 15-10 in the third. But the Tigers put together a scoring stretch that pulled them ahead 17-16, the two teams traded leads through the 20s, and pulled even at 24-24 before the Bulldogs closed it out 27-25 to claim the match.
"The girls played great and kept up with one of the best teams in the league," Ephrata head coach McKaidan Boyd said afterward. "I'm proud of them."
Sophomore Addison Vasquez led Ephrata with five kills and four aces. Clairissa Johnson, Vasquez and Bergen Lauver each put up five blocks, and Ella Piturachsatit added three. Sidney Chornuk led the defense with seven digs, followed by Staci Guerrero with six and Scarlet Wolther with four. The Tigers served nine aces.
With the win, Ellensburg improved to 5-0 in the CWAC and is currently listed seventh in the WIAA's 2A RPI rankings. Ephrata moved to 2-9 overall and 0-4 in the CWAC.
But the young Lady Tiger squad also showed competitive resilience last Thursday, Oct. 1, when East Valley came to town. Ephrata claimed the opening set, 25-18, and battled in extended sets against the Red Devils, who eventually prevailed 28-26, 25-13, 26-24.
Ephrata falls to 2-10 overall and 0-5 in the CWAC. The Tigers travel to Othello on Oct. 13 for a 6 p.m. match.